(From left to right) Designers Shantanu Goenka, Kiran Uttam Ghosh and Sabyasachi Mukherjee at 85 Lansdowne. Pictures by Pabitra Das

Valentino came calling on Calcutta this Monday, and “curious” fashionistas lined up for a look, feel and shopping bag full. The trunk show at 85 Lansdowne, in association with t2, wooed the city with pret and accessories from the celebrated Italian label as part of a 10-day Diwali extravaganza.

“There was a lot of curiosity,” said Pooja Goenka of 85 Lansdowne. “For the visitors, it was getting to know a big brand better.” And though products did not fly off the shelves in a still-conservative Calcutta, label officials had achieved their objective of “making the brand accessible closer home and creating awareness” in a “market with potential for good response”.

A first-floor room at the Sarat Bose Road boutique was home to the two-day style spread. Accessories dominated, with a host of bags, shoes, wallets, card-holders, mobile charms and belts on display. Swarovski and striking red handles stood out in the handbag range. Women also took to high-on-bling shoes and metallic chain belts, but zeroed in on casual belts with the V-logo, tagged at Rs 14,000.

Then there were tops, silk shirts, feather skirts and denims with embellishments on back pockets for women. Men could choose from tees, shirts, ties and trousers.

The garment section was relatively quiet. This despite price cuts over the past six months bringing down rates by “between 20 per cent and 50 per cent”, compared to the global market. The pricing has worked better in other metros than Calcutta, revealed officials.

“With the festive season on, women are more keen on buying ethnic ensembles. Plus the Calcutta crowd is still conservative,” they said. “The next time we are here, our accessory line-up will be stronger. The price tag will read Rs 12,000 onwards and will not be higher than Rs 30,000,” the spokesperson added.

Women may have given feminine attires a miss, but they packed in men’s wear for their husbands. Solid white shirts at Rs 10,000, T-shirts ranging between Rs 5,000 and Rs 12,000 and belts for Rs 14,000 found takers.

The Rest...

Valentino may have left 85 Lansdowne, but the line-up of Indian designers is still moving fast. Kiran Uttam Ghosh’s debut line of men’s ethnic wear — with unusual colours and striking necklines and plackets — flew off the racks. “This line is definitely not for the faint-hearted and is for those who dare to carry off the oranges and purples with panache. I must say I’m quite surprised that it’s gone down so well with the Calcutta male,” smiled Kiran.

An all-time favourite in town, Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s room was packed. “I love Sabya’s designs and colours and it is exactly something like this that I would like to wear for my wedding,” smiled media professional Aditi who had flown down from Mumbai to pick up her favourite designer’s creation for her special day. “These designs are perfectly suited to the Calcutta palate and in accordance with the idea that for ceremonies and festivals, the look remains predominantly Indian,” explained the designer.

Day One, Monday, also saw a jewellery exhibit by Mumbai-based designer Kalpana Mulchandani. There were interesting pieces in precious stones as well as funky ones in bone, wood, china and some studded with diamonds. The price tag read between Rs 6,000 and Rs 2,00,000. Amit GT’s white and pastel kurtas went down well. The latest fall-winter collection by Rajesh Pratap Singh, creations by two new resident designers Wendell Rodricks and Pankaj Ahuja, Anamika Khanna, Cue… there is much more action to come at the exhibition, on till November 7.